Display device



March 13, 1934. L. P, KONGSTED 1,950,987

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1933 INVENTOR.

bwyz. 62,7541

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 IPATENT] OFFICE DISPLAY DEVICE Ludvig P. Kongsted, Longmeadow, Mass., assignor to United American Bosch Corporation, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of New York Application August29, 1933, Serial No. 687,267

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in display or advertising devices, and particularly to such devices comprising 'a neon or other glow tube which illuminates when a suitable electric current is passed through it.

An object of this invention is to provide an advertising or display device which can be mounted on a motor vehicle and operated with electrical energy supplied from a source that is controlled by the engine that propels the car, such as a high voltage magneto generator which is driven by a belt from the fan that cools the engine. Such an arrangement enables me to dispense with a high tension vibrator'coil and the condenser and'the interrupter points that are used therewith.

The nature and advantages of the invention are set forth fully below and the novel features are pointed out in the appended claims, the right this circuit breaker is employed.

On the drawing the same numerals identify the same parts throughout.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the generatdr shown is of the ,bi-polar type comprising permanent horseshoe magnets 1 with polepieces 2, between which revolves a bi-polar armature 3 on a shaft 4. This armature has a high tension secondary winding 5 only, and one end of the shaft carries a pulley 10 to enable it to be connected by a belt to a pulley driven by the engine. The armature is thus driven from the engine when the automobile carrying said engine is running at a speed ranging preferably from 1,500 to 6,000 revolutions per minute. The connection from the windings 5 to the neon sign is direct, without interrupter points or condenser, and as long as the engine operates the car, the sign will be illuminated.

Instead of a bi-polar generator a multi-polar inductor type generator may be employed as indicated in Fig. 2. Here the armature 3 is shown provided with polar projections on which the high tension windings are placed.

The engine is'shown at 6, in Fig. 3, having a shaft '7 carrying a pulley 8. This pulley 8 in practice is driven in any suitable way, as from the shaft of the cooling fan of the engine. The belt which connects this pulley to the pulley 10 is shown at 9. From one end of the windings a conductor 12 leads to the sign 13, 'the other terminal of the sign being suitably connected to the remaining end of the windings of the generator; this arrangement operating large neon signs satisfactorily for many hours. It is very practical and inexpensive to manufacture.

. If it be desired to operate the sign when the engine is idling and the car is at rest, a circuit breaker of special design is employed. In that case the magneto generator will have both a primary winding and a secondary winding; the type of circuit breaker employed and the primary and secondary circuits being indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. The secondary is shown at 11 and the primary at 14 and both of these are incorporated in the construction of a suitable type of magneto to be driven by the engine as before. The secondary 11 is connected at one end to the sign 13 which is grounded and the windings 11 and 14 have a grounded terminal in common. The winding 14 is short circuited by the interrupter 16, which is adapted to remain open at high speeds, so that the tube 13 is then energized from the high tension winding 11 alone of the magneto and the circuit breaker is no longer operative. This circuit breaker comprises a suitable plate or disk having thereon a part 17 which carries the contact screw 18 of a fixed terminal 19. The disk is mounted to be revolved by the magneto and is preferably mounted on thearmature shaft there- .of. On the disk is a breaker lever 20 carrying a terminal 21 to cooperate with the terminal 19 at one endand having a fibre insert or rubbing block 22 at the other which periodically engages one ,or more stationary cam projections (not shown) so that the lever 20 is actuated and the terminals 19 and 21 separate. A spring 23 secured to the support for the circuit breaker normally holds the terminals 19 and 21 together, the lever 20 being pivoted at 24. The opposite terminals of the windings 14 are of course suitably connected to the contact points 19 and 21; and if the disk 16 is metal, one of these points will be insulated therefrom.

In operation when the engine is idling at low speed, the circuit breaker will open and close the 13. At high speeds the centrifugal force will act upon the lever 20 to keep the terminals 21 and 19 permanently separated. For this purpose the end of the interrupter lever 20 carrying the terminal 21 will be made comparatively heavy.

This system of energizing neon signs is superior to previous systems employing vibrator contacts. These are good only for intermittent operation of small stop signs and are not at all suited for continuous operation of large signs. The signs operated according to this invention will give out an excellent light which can be seen in the day time, as well as night.

The invention is well adapted to operate neon signs of medium and large size on an automobile or similar vehicle and will thus supply the sign with sufiicient high voltage electrical energy both when the car is in motion and when the car is standing still with the engine idling.

Of course the belt can be driven from any part of the engine, but preferably from the-fan shaft as above stated.

Having described the invention, what is claimed 1. A display device comprising a neon tube, a

magneto having a primary and a secondary wind ing incorporated therewith, the secondary being directly connected to the tube, a driving connection to operate said magneto from a source of power, and a circuit breaker in the primary winding of the magneto, said circuit breaker comprising a pivoted weighted lever adapted to remain in open position at a predetermined speed.

2. In a display device, the combination of a neon tube, a magneto having a high tension winding and a low tension winding incorporated therewith, the secondary being directly connected to the tube, a connection to operate said magneto from a source of power, and a circuit breaker to control one of the windings of said magneto, said circuit breaker comprising a fixed contact, a movable contact, and a weighted lever carrying the movable contact, said lever being arranged to maintain one of said windings open at a predetermined speed.

3. In a display device the combination of a neon tube, a magneto having a primary and a secondary winding incorporated therewith, the secondary being directly connected to the tube, and a circuit breaker arranged to short-circuit and open-circuit the primary winding at low speed of the magneto, the circuit breaker comprising a pivoted weighted lever adapted to remain permanently in open position at a predetermined speed of the magneto.

I LUDVIG P. KONGSTED. 

